Insertable typewriter support for desks



June 20, 1950 JONES ET AL 2,511,919

INSERTABLE TYPEWRITER SUPPORT FOR DESKS Filed Nov. 13, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l J. R. JONES ET AL INSERTABLE TYPEWRITER SUPPORT FOR DESKS June 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1947 Patented June 20, 1950 INSERTABLE TYPEWRITER SUPPORT iron,

' pEsKs 'J ames' R. J ones and Floyd H. Bloomstraii, 'James town, N. Y., assignors to Art-Metal Construction -Company, Jamestown, N. Y.

Application November13, 1947, Serial No. 785 ,6 09 t-Glaims. (Cl. 31'1-17 This invention relates to improvements in desks and particularly to an improved platform unit or insert for installation in desks of usual or ordinary type for supporting a typewriter or analogous machine in position for operation, thereby adapting a desk, such as a regular office desk, for use as a typists or secretarial desk.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a platform or insert unit which can be instantly and easily installed in an ordinary desk and provide desirable means for supporting a typewriter or the like in position for operation.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a novel typewriter or the like supporting unit or insert comprising a drawer and an attached typewriter platform which can be instantly inserted in a drawer opening or space of a desk in place of the regular desk drawer and firmly retained with the platform projecting forwardly from the deskand forming a firm, stable support fer he ill ewrite or he l ke i seperati e p ion; t p ovide he P tform u t or ns w h a part arran d to. engag e1 nterlock with a pa t o the desk hen in t n eun t n p ac in the drawer opening or spaceand securely retain. the unit ineperat epes t i the sk, 5. as to ensure firm, steady support for the machine; .and to providea desl: typewriter or the like platform unit or insertof novel construction which willaff rd a strong, rigid support o the machine.

Further objects and advantages of theinvent n w llappear fr m th f l wins spe ifi at on of the preferred emb dimen of th i ven ion how n t ac ompanyin dr n s, a d th novel featuresof the invention are set forth in th ap d derawi ss- In said drawin Fig. .1 is a fra mentary, perspective view of a deskequipped withatypewriter platform unit or inse emb dyinathe in nt n.

' Fig. 2 is .a perspective view, enlarged, of the typewriter platform unit or insert apart from the desk.

Fig. -3 is a broken, approximately full scale,

transverse vertical section of the platform on hand pedestals at opposite ends of the desk, as

usual in office desks. The edestal, or each of the pedestalstin a two pedestal desk, emay, as usual, housea plurality of drawers, .twoof the regular desk drawers being shown at H, Fig. 1. As il- .2 lustrated in Fig. 1, the uppermost regular drawer of the desk has beenremoved and the typewriter platform unit, shown in Fig. '2, has been installed in the drawer space or opening in place of the regular drawer, which has been removed.

This invention is not concerned with the con struction of the desk itself, which may "be of usual or any suitable construction providing space or compartments for drawers in each pedestal, and drawer guides or rails (not shown), for slidably supporting the drawers for in and out movement. However, the desk, as shown in Fig. 5, is provided at the upper portion of the pedestal below the desk top with the usual inwardly and outwardly mOvable sliding shelf l2 and the usual fixed or sta iona y cross ra l 13 at thei rent ef th desk im diatel bel sa d slid n hel and dividing the shelf space or compartment from the drawer space forthe top desk drawer or drawer next belowthe sliding shelf.

The platform unit or insert comprise a drawer 5 and a pl t orm fixed to th d aw and p o- J'eetihs o w dly from the. front end h efi- This drawer may be of thesarne form and conue n as the re ula des .d we w ieh'he b en em ve t pe m t the inst l ation o th p atfor unit, r he unit drawe 15 ma eef other suitable form and construction adaptingrit to be inserted intothe deskinplace of the restlar drawer, and to be slidably supported in the desk by the upp t n guides or rai s fo th re l .cl w r- The unit d awe shown may hav t e usual uprieht ren r frent wall Hand onpositeside walls 1! 8 provided with rails I 9, adapted to cooperate with theguides or rails in the desk pedestal for slidably supporting the unit drawer and always firmly maintaining it horizontal,

Th p o m It ie re erahly of the c nst uction illustrated, comprising a horizontal sheet. metal top plate :30, having relatively deep, depending stifiening and strengthening flanges 21 at its opposite sides and front end, the bottom edge portions of which flanges may be reversely en up n themsel es to urther stif en the fla e A m rg n e t eaLm tal strip new rou ds he front end nd O p site sid s of he. platfo m, being ri d t h d a by sp t. weldmg, to the depending flanges 21 and projecting above the upper face of the top plate 20 to provide a raised curb at the sides and front end of the platform to prevent accidental displacement of the machine from'the platform and, as shown, th platform may be provided with a linoleum or the like cushioning cover sheet 23 cemented or otherwise secured on the top plate.

Theplat-form is rigidly attached'to the drawer 15 by a pair of longitudinal supporting bars 24 which are rigidly attached, as by spot welding, to the underside of the platform top plate 20, and preferably extend from approximately the front end of the platform rearwardly beyond the rear end of the platform throughsuitable openings 25 in the front l'n' of the drawer ill, with the supporting bars bearing against the inner faces of the side walls of the drawer, to which they are rigidly attached, as by screw bolts 26. These supporting bars 24 are preferably of the cross sectional channel or flanged shape shown in Fig. 3, hiving their upper flanges welded to the platform top plate 20 and having the inner margins of their,

lower flanges turned upwardly to add greater stiflness and rigidity to the bars. The platform is preferably of greater horizontal width than the drawer to which it is attached to enable a typewriter to be placed in a sidewise facing position thereon, and since the supporting bars 24 are spaced apart a distance corresponding with the cross width of the drawer, they are located substantial distances inwardly from the side edges of the platform and cooperate with the side and end flanges 2| and marginal curb strip 22 of the platform to give great strength, stiflness and rigidity to the platform.

The platform is provided at its inner or rear end with a holding hook or member 21 arranged to engage or interlock with the desk cross rail l3 above the platform unit drawer for holding the platform unit in its intended place in the desk and resisting or preventing unintentional forward movement or displacement of the unit. Preferably, as shown, the rear end of the platform top plate is bent or flanged upwardly at 28 and then rearwardly to form the holding hook or member 21 which is adapted to extend into the desk between the top of the fixed cross rail l3 and the sliding desk shelf l2. At its rear extremity this holding member is formed with a depressed offset or transverse rib 29 adapted to engage the rear edge of the cross rail l3 and thereby resist or prevent forward movement or displacement of the platform unit, which may be held from movement inwardly beyond its intended operative position, as by the engagement of parts of the unit drawer with stop parts on the desk, as is usual in desk drawer constructions.

To install the platform unit, it is only necessary to remove a regular drawer (which may be the top drawer of either a right or left hand desk pedestal) from the desk and insert the unit drawer 15 in its place and shove the unit inwardly until the holding member or hook 21 enters the space between the cross rail 13 and the sliding shelf l2, and the inward movement of the unit is arrested by a suitable stop on the desk. There is suflicient space between the bottom of the desk shelf I2 and the top of' the cross rail l3 to permit the entrance of the holding member, but preferably the parts are so proportioned and positioned that the offset rear end of the holding member is deflected upwardly slightly by engagement of its bevelled underface with the cross rail l3, and when the unit has been shoved inwardly to its intended operative position in the desk, the offset end of the holding member will spring downwardly, due to the inherent resilience of the holding member, and engage the rear edge of the cross rail so as to securely hold the platform unit in its operative position in the desk against unintentional or accidental forward movement or displacement. However, when it is desired to remove the unit from the desk, it is simply necessary to exert sufiicient forward pull on the unit to spring the hooked or offset end of the holding member out of holding engagement with the rear edge of the cross rail I3. The under face of th 4 offset may be forwardly bevelled, as shown, to permit such forcible withdrawal of the unit.

In case there is not sufficient space between the sliding shelf 12 and the rail 13 to permit the offset end 29 to pass through this space, the shelf may be removed by completely drawing the same out of the desk, whereupon the unit drawer 15 may be inserted in place of the top drawer of the desk pedestal. The hook member 21 may then be slid over the cross rail l3 so that the offset end 29 is at the rear edge of the cross rail. Upon replacing the sliding shelf 12, the offset end will be held in place, by the shelf and the cross rail, thus securely locking the platform unit in place. When it is desired to remove the platform unit, this can readily be done by first removing the sliding shelf l2, whereupon the platform unit may be drawn forwardly by springing the oflset end 29 upwardly over the cross rail 13.

We claim:

1. A unit for supporting a typewriter or the like in operative position at the front of a desk having a fixed cross rail at the front thereof above a drawer space, comprising a drawer and a platform carried by and projecting forwardly from said drawer, said drawer being insertable into a drawer space of the desk, and bars for fixing said platform rigidly to said drawer, said bars being rigidly attached to the underside of said platform in locations spaced inwardly from the s1de edges of the platform and extending rearwardly from approximately the front end of the platform beyond the rear end of the platform through openings in the front of said drawer and being fixed rigidly to the side walls of the drawer.

2. A unit for supporting a typewriter or the like in operative position at the front of a desk having a fixed cross rail at the front thereof above a drawer space, comprising a drawer and a platform carried by and projecting forwardly from said drawer, said drawer being insertable into a drawer space of the desk, said .platform comprising a top plate having depending stiffening flanges along its side edges and front end, and a vertical marginal strip extending around the sides and outer end of said platform plate and attached to said depending plate flanges and forming marginal flanges projecting above the top face of the platform, and flanged bars for fixing said platform rigidly to said drawer, said bars being welded to the underside of said top plate in locations spaced inwardly from the sides of the platform and extending rearwardly from approximately the front end of the platform beyond the rear end of the platform through openings in the front of said drawer, and being fixed rigidly to the side walls of the drawer.

JAIWES R. JONES. FLOYD H. BLOOMSTRAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

